Senate candidates vying for youth vote

Although a great deal of attention has been paid to the importance of the youth vote in the presidential race, the two candidates for U.S. Senate are also fighting to win the vote of this demographic.

Worcester-area schools have hosted several events for Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and some students are actively campaigning on their campuses.

Alethea Harney, Ms. Warren’s press secretary, said that supporting young people is important to Ms. Warren, and that student volunteers in Worcester and across the state have been involved in supporting her campaign and reaching out to other young people.

“Elizabeth believes that students who have worked hard and played by the rules shouldn’t be burdened by crushing debt, and she will fight to make sure all our kids have a real shot at success,” said Ms. Harney.

Clark University has a large number of Warren supporters. Ellie Zuckerman, a junior and political science major from Seattle, is political director of the 30-member Democrats of Clark University, whose members have been actively engaged in Warren’s campaign by making phone calls, canvassing and holding campus events.

Ms. Zuckerman says she thinks that Ms. Warren has inspired political engagement in the Clark community. “It’s been pretty cool for 2012; we’ve seen a big increase in our membership, and I think that Elizabeth Warren is a big part of that. People haven’t seen a politician quite like her before.”

The appearance Oct. 13 on the Clark campus of TV actor and “Scrubs” star Zach Braff got the 320 attendees buzzing about Ms. Warren’s campaign, according to Ms. Zuckerman. “Zach Braff had been watching TV one day when he decided, ‘I’m gonna use my influence to support the vote,’ and he put a funny spin on it, but the overall message was that now is the time for action.”

Clark’s support of Ms. Warren fits in with statistics showing that younger voters typically vote Democrat. A survey by the Harvard Institute of Politics found that 16 percent of respondents identified as “Strong Democrats” and 10 percent as “Strong Republicans.” There were also many who did not affiliate themselves with a political party; of these, 25 percent identified as liberal and 25 percent as conservative.

But as the president of Clark University’s 10-member Republican Club, Mark Vanderhoof points out that Scott Brown appeals to a wide base of young students because he is bipartisan. “Socially, he’s pretty similar to his opponent. I don’t personally agree with his social policies, however, his economic stance provides the best hope for a positive future for our generation,” said Mr. Vanderhoof.

A senior and a political science major from Webster, Mr. Vanderhoof said the club’s vice president is an intern for state Rep. Ryan Fattman of Sutton, and that she often extends offers to other members of the club to help out with campaigning for both Mr. Brown and Mr. Fattman.

Mr. Vanderhoof is not alone in his concern about the economy. Harvard University’s Institute of Politics found that creating jobs and lowering the unemployment rate is the most important issue to young voters overall.

Alleigh Marre, the press secretary for Mr. Brown’s campaign, said that one of the top concerns for Mr. Brown regarding young people is fixing the economy and working to make sure students are able to find jobs after they graduate. “That is why Scott Brown has made job creation his top legislative priority, and has been proud to go to the White House three times in the last year to stand with President Obama as he signed Brown’s bipartisan jobs initiatives into law.”

According to Mr. Vanderhoof, the Brown campaign is focused less on individual groups, such as students, and more on the overall picture. “The difference between the two parties is that the Democratic Party is more small-scale, emotion-based and focuses on issues that don’t have huge effects on all members of the party, whereas the Republicans look more broadly toward the future,” he said.

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